Big moves could be coming for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the near future. With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, they're likely to acquire a top starter and they could move their current shortstop to make room for a top prospect.
Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels looks to be the guy Los Angeles is targeting before the July 31 deadline. In our column earlier in the week we had the Dodgers as Hamels' top destination given the circumstances that surround the team's starting rotation.
More trade rumors from the last few days support that notion.
"In the Dodgers' case, Philly was said to have previously insisted on at least one of the Dodgers' top-two prospects, who happened to be two of the very best in baseball -- shortstop Corey Seager or young lefty Julio Urias -- but at least now appears to be considering other possible Dodger scenarios," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. "Rivals all seem to agree that Seager and Urias are too good to trade, and further suggested that the Dodgers' system is deep enough to land Hamels, anyway."
Heyman also mentioned the Dodgers' interest in Hamels is largely due to the possibility of Zack Greinke opting out of his contract after the season. He leads the MLB in ERA and will likely look for one last big payday before he gets too old (he's 31).
Hamels is under club control through at least 2018 and would stabilize the top of the Dodgers rotation even if Greinke were to leave. However, they still have work to do with the depth beyond their first two aces right now and could look to add multiple arms before the deadline.
Additionally, one of Hamels' other top speculated destinations may no longer be an option for Philadelphia.
"There appears to be no traction between the Rangers and the Phillies as far as Cole Hamels," writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. "The Rangers like the pitcher but not the contract or the asking price as far as prospects. Said one Rangers source, 'If we were going to do that trade, we would have already done it by now.'"
Another significant move the Dodgers could make may come from within the organization. Shortstop prospect Corey Seager, who is now regarded as the top prospect in the MLB (via ESPN Insider Keith Law), could get the call before the deadline as the team has limited time to decide what they want to do with current shortstop Jimmy Rollins.
However, last weekend FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal said the Dodgers will give Rollins a "long leash" because of his improved bat and clubhouse presence. He weighed in on the risk of moving Rollins and promoting Seager.
"The team's top prospect, Corey Seager, is not Carlos Correa defensively, and his offense, at least initially, will be no sure thing. The Dodgers know that out of respect to Rollins, they'll either need to trade him or release him if they went exclusively with Seager, and then if Seager got hurt or did not perform, the team would be in trouble."
Heyman previously floated the idea of the Dodgers trading Rollins in favor of Seager and we spoke about that as well, and he provided more insight on the matter this week.
"While some rival execs believe the Dodgers might consider trading Jimmy Rollins at some point (and he might be able to pass through waivers so it could be in August), Dodgers people love Rollins in the clubhouse and the field, which is offsetting his uneven offense, and they say they are giving him a lot of rope," Heyman added. "The issue is that they have perhaps baseball's best prospect in Corey Seager potentially ready to go. But they'd want to be absolutely certain on Seager before dealing Rollins."
Scouts believe Seager, who is batting .283/.335/.461 with 38 runs scored, 8 home runs and 34 RBIs in 65 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City, is ready for the MLB. Law shed some light on that in his updated "Top 50 MLB prospects" list.
"Seager just turned 21 in late April and has already reached Triple-A, continuing to perform across the board at the plate even though he hasn't fully come into his power. The Dodgers have started to play Seager a little at third base, as that's his ultimate position, but even with his range limitations due to his size, he'd still be an overall upgrade for them at shortstop right now thanks to his bat."
Run production has not been a problem for the Dodgers this year, but it could become more of an issue down the stretch, especially with the offensive struggles of Rollins, Yasiel Puig and the recent lack of production from Andre Ethier (6 runs scored, 1 home run and 4 RBIs in 61 plate appearances in the past month) and Joc Pederson (his average has gone from .252 to .231 and his on-base percentage has gone from .390 to .364 since June 17).
Seager is no guarantee to perform on the offensive side of the ball, but there's a good chance he could provide a spark for the Dodgers, who have a tough second half schedule.
Seager should be up to make his MLB debut in September when the rosters expand, but with some time left before the trade deadline it's possible Rollins is moved to make room for the youngster.
